Concerned that illness accounts for more hospitalizations of service members than combat-related wounds, Pentagon researchers are looking to very small "nanoplatforms" that would treat infectious diseases more quickly and efficiently. On June 8, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) issued a request for companies and researchers to develop nanoplatforms that could be modified to treat a multiple range of maladies safely. "Doctors have been waiting for a flexible platform that could help them treat a variety of problematic diseases," said Timothy Broderick, physician and DARPA program manager. "DARPA seeks to do just that by advancing revolutionary technologies such as nanoparticles coated with small interfering RNA (siRNA). RNA plays an active role in all biological processes, and by targeting RNA in specific cells we may be able to stop the processes that cause diseases of all types—from contagious, difficult-to-treat bacteria … to traumatic brain injury." As of yet, DARPA has no plans to test nanoplatforms on humans.
